Dry skin in winter: the most common mistakes (that you probably make too)

How can you protect your dry skin in winter? Your skin often needs more care and attention during the cold months, especially if you spend much of your day outdoors. Therefore, never forget the normal precautions: wear a scarf, hat and gloves and avoid moist clothing in direct contact with the skin. But what can you do if your skin needs more protection? Here are some tips and natural remedies.

Hydrate from within

Dry skin is one of the first signs of dehydration of the body. You may simply forget to drink enough during busy workdays. In winter, you can increase your fluid intake with hot drinks, such as tea and herbal teas. If the cause of your dry skin is dehydration, chances are you will soon notice improvement.

Nourish the skin

On the coldest days, it can be helpful to give your skin extra nourishment and hydration from the outside as well, both in the morning before you head out the door as well as in the evening. If necessary, opt for natural, certified organic creams for face and body that have nourishing and moisturizing properties. An excellent ally in this regard is pure shea butter, also suitable for your lips.

Nutrition that supports your skin

The hydration and care of our skin also occurs through our diet and the choice of what we eat and drink in a day. Among the foods that are considered 'friendly to the skin' and are readily available in winter are nuts, legumes, pomegranate and citrus fruits, among others. Also consider a beneficial warm beverage that you can drink in winter: green tea.

Humidifier

Your skin can look dehydrated due to insufficient humidity in the rooms where you spend most of the day, whether at home or in the office. To humidify rooms, it is not  necessary to use an electric humidifier. In fact, containers of water that you can hang on the radiator are a great solution. You can put a few drops of essential oil in them (for example, lavender or eucalyptus) to make the air more pleasant.

Homemade lip balm

To protect your lips in winter, it is wise to use natural products and remedies only. Common lip products usually contain kerosene, an ingredient that is supposed to serve as an external barrier against the cold, but which does not help moisturize the lips, which will ultimately remain dry no matter how often you apply the product. Therefore, opt for an exceptionally natural product, such as a homemade lip balm.

Hand care

If your main winter concern is that you particularly want to protect your hands from the cold, wear gloves every time you go outside, as well as finding an extra-rich hand cream with nourishing, organic ingredients. You can also simply use shea butter to care for chapped and cracked lips. Shea butter melted between your palms and then applied to fingers and the backs of the hands can serve as a night mask for your hands. Let the butter soak in while you sleep, preferably with cotton gloves on. In the morning, rinse your hands with lukewarm water.

Sunscreen

For those who go to the mountains in winter, it is advisable to protect your facial skin with an appropriate sunscreen. There are sun creams with ingredients from organic farming, which are not tested on animals and use natural ingredients instead of chemical filters to protect the skin from the sun. They are suitable in both summer and winter.

Jojoba oil

For extra body hydration after showering, you can apply a few drops of jojoba oil to your damp skin. This way you give the skin both hydration and nourishment. The composition of jojoba oil is considered highly compatible with that of the sebum naturally present on the skin to protect it from drying out. Sesame oil and shea butter or cocoa butter are equally suitable. Butter-like products can replace oils, especially when the skin needs extra protection.

Avoid aggressive cleansers

Cleaning your face skin and body too aggressively affects the natural lipid layer that protects the skin. For this reason - and also because these are often products that contain environmentally harmful ingredients - it is better to avoid cleansers and liquid soaps that contain Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). A natural soap bar with no harsh ingredients and no synthetic fragrances is usually the best choice to treat the skin gently.

No (too) hot shower or bath

A hot bath or shower seems like the only real pampering moment after a long day out in the cold, but pay close attention to the water temperature: it should not be too high. Extremely hot water damages the skin's natural protective layer, causing it to lose moisture more easily and makes it more vulnerable. Therefore, preferably use lukewarm water and, in any case, do not go above 36 to 37 degrees.
 

(MP/©GreenMe/translation and adaptation: The Global Lifestyle/Illustration: Ivan Bobrov via Unsplash)